


The Five Times Chris Told Josh He Loved Him (and the one time he didn't need to)

by mimityty



Series: multifandom drabbles and ficlets [1]
Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Ashley Brown (mentioned), Climbing Class, M/M, implied nsfw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-24 12:56:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15631122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mimityty/pseuds/mimityty
Summary: a.k.a. the obligatory 5-1 climbing class fic. [fluff, implied nsfw]





	The Five Times Chris Told Josh He Loved Him (and the one time he didn't need to)

The first time Chris had told Josh that he loved him was on Josh's couch in his cabin, just as he'd been falling asleep.

"I love you."

Josh had raised an eyebrow at the man on his couch before chuckling, lightly patting his shoulder. "I, uh, love you too, man."

"No, seriously. I mean it." Chris had sat up slightly by now and taken hold of Josh's wrist, and although he could've pulled away, the other felt compelled to stay. "I love you."

Josh had rolled his eyes at this and shook his head, reaching one hand up to fix his beanie as he spoke in Chris' general direction (as he'd wanted to keep eye contact to a minimum). "You love my couch. You'd love your bed, too, if you didn't have a nightmare and made me take you down here so you didn't have to be alone. Now get some sleep before you propose to your blankets."

At this point, Chris had already fallen back asleep, leaving Josh with nothing but his thoughts to keep him company, those mainly focusing on trying to detach any sort of truthfulness from his friend's sleep-deprived statement.

 

The second time Chris had told Josh that he loved him was at his doorstep sometime deep into the night, the phrase having been so casually thrown out that Josh couldn't tell if the words should've had as much impact on him as they did.

"Oh my god, dude, I love you!"

"Uh, what?"

"You heard me, bro! Total lifesaver."

Chris took the box of cereal out of Josh's hands and tucked it safely underneath his arm, then nodding towards his kitchen. "You gonna join me or what? I've been craving this stuff, but it's not like I'm gonna finish the whole box on my own."

Josh had done his best to shake off his mindset, but by then was still slightly affected by those words. He'd wanted nothing more than to hang out with his best friend, but the way that Chris had said… well, that… and so casually? He didn't really feel like dealing with those feelings with him right then. "Uh, no thanks, bro. I've gotta get back home."

"Ah. Gotcha. Tell your mystery girl I said hi, would ya?" Chris winked.

"Sure," Josh lied.

 

The third time Chris had told Josh that he loved him was at the end of a phone call, and it was… actually kind of awkward.

"Alright, man. See you soon. Love you."

Josh had felt the sudden urge to say love you, too, but Chris had hung up before he could say anything else besides a simple "see ya." Seconds later, when they both simultaneously realized the flaw in their thought processes, Josh's phone rang and he hurried to pick it up.

"Bro, you know I didn't-"

"Yeah, yeah, of course-"

"I was just saying-"

"I know, bro, it was just a mistake-"

"I- alright, bye, Josh-"

"Bye, Chris-"

And just like that, it was over, leaving both of them red-faced and embarrassed in a puddle of their own (terribly confused) emotions.

 

The fourth time Chris had told Josh that he loved him was when he was drunk. Chris didn't usually drink, but then again, he didn't usually proclaim his love for his best friend, either.

"I love you, Josh."

"Please, don't say that."

Chris had wrapped his arms around Josh's torso and leaned on him, looking up to meet his eyes with a slight smile. "Why not? It's true."

"No, it's not. You're drunk, and I- I can't deal with this right now, okay?" Josh had pushed Chris away moments later and flopped down onto his couch, pinching between his eyes as his friend came to sit beside him and lean on him once more.

"So what if I'm drunk? You're never not pretty, and I'm never not in love with you. I'm just more confident-er now." He'd giggled at his new made-up word and looked up to Josh as he'd expected approval, but frowned when he noticed his friend was still thinking hard to himself.

"Chris, please… I don't want to deal with this right now, okay? You say that so many times, I don't even know if it means anything to you, and I just-" Josh was forcing back tears at this point, and did his best to wipe them away before turning back to Chris. (Alright, maybe he'd had a few drinks as well.)

"Josh…" Chris looked almost apologetic as he reached a hand up to cup Josh's cheek, then brushing away a few years with his thumb. "I mean it. I love you."

With this, Chris connected their lips, and Josh felt guilty knowing that his desire to believe Chris was telling the truth was what made him kiss back.

 

The fifth time Chris had told Josh that he loved him was during one of their  _hangouts_ in Josh's room, which were happening more frequently now.

"Oh, Josh~ god, I love you~"

Josh hadn't responded, partially due to the fact that he could barely speak anyways but also partially because he just didn't know what to say. After the dust had settled a few minutes later, Chris finally spoke up about what he'd said.

"Josh, when I said… what I said… you know I, uh…"

"Yeah, yeah. Of course." Josh had kept his back turned on Chris at this point, less out of disdain but instead more out of fear of this conversation.

"...oh. Good, good. I just, uh- you know, caught up in the moment and all that…"

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. This means nothing."

"Well, no, it's not-"

"Chris." He turned over and met his friend's eyes, doing his best to keep calm. "I'm not taking this as an insult. We both agreed that this meant nothing. Let's just… keep it that way, okay?"

"...okay."

With their final "good night" to one another, the friends finally closed their eyes and tucked themselves deep into the covers, hoping the curtain of nightfall would mask the sight of both of their tears.

 

The last time Chris had told Josh he'd loved him wasn't intentional. It was actually right after one of their bedroom hangout sessions, but it wasn't built upon lies like the last time. Well, not as many.

"...Josh?"

"Hm."

"What happens now?"

Josh shifted slightly in his position, allowing Chris to stay cuddled up beside him (for warmth, of course) while still being comfortable under the sheets to contrast his slightly uncomfortable position in the conversation. Once he was satisfied with an answer in his mind, he closed his eyes and sighed, speaking in a quiet voice as if he were trying not to wake a child.

"...we're not gonna stop being friends, Chris. That's a guarantee. And we've done this before, so it's not like it'll be a big difference."

"But I don't know if I can keep pretending that this stuff never happened."

"And I won't force you to. I just don't want you to feel awkward around Ash or anyone else when you think about me." He'd laughed quietly, almost sadly, before continuing. "I'm… nothing. We agreed on that a while ago. Please don't let me interfere with your love life, okay?"

Chris sat in silence for a bit, only speaking when he was certain he knew what he wanted to say. "...hey, Josh?"

"Yeah, bro."

"Do you… remember what I said a week or so back? When we were in here?"

Josh paused, then gave a little nod.

"Do you, uh… 'cause I wasn't lying, you know? I mean, I think I was just-"

"Chris, it's okay." Josh turned to face Chris and smiled, pulling him in for a kiss before moving back and giving him a gentle nod.

"I love you, too."


End file.
